Chapter 307 – 307 The Request Of Ms. Lenny!
◈-Lenny SIDE
It’s already been eight years since I started working as a receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild.
I’m not the only receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild.
There are other staff members who handle paperwork, but I’m practically the only one in charge at the reception desk.
Of course, it’s a monotonous job, but it doesn’t bother me much.
As for physical fitness, the Guild Master once personally guided me through a dungeon and promoted me, so there are no problems there either.
A receptionist is a job that involves dealing with people.
Not just at the Adventurer’s Guild, but also at libraries, restaurants, and diners.
Most receptionists have a certain level of looks and figure.
The Guild Master says my diligence was the biggest reason I was chosen as a receptionist, but I’m sure my appearance was a close second.
“Lenny~ Why don’t you go home now?”
Mejina, a coworker who was processing other quest documents in the document room behind the reception desk, called out to me.
“Yes, I’ll go home after I finish this document.”
“Really~ You could take it a little easier. Lenny is always so diligent.”
“It’s my job.”
“Seriously… Lenny hasn’t changed since she first came here. Okay, then I’ll try a little harder too.”
After about 30 more minutes of work, I left the Adventurer’s Guild and went to the staff dormitory owned by the guild, where I’ve been staying for eight years.
I washed up, put on my underwear and a nightshirt, ate a late dinner, and then lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
As I stared at the ceiling, I suddenly remembered what Mejina had said.
“Unchanged since she first came here…”
I thought that was wrong.
The old me was more immature, thoughtless… and lacked resolve.
I had trouble processing paperwork properly, so every day when I came back to the dormitory, I would look at the documents that were similar to the ones I was working on now, the ones that were going to be discarded, and practice to process them faster and better.
And when the results of my practice made me more proficient at work the next day, I would be happy with myself.
I think I was still fresh and lively back then.
At the same time…
“I was… optimistic.”
The adventurers who praised me when I was still a new receptionist.
The novice adventurers who didn’t know I was a newbie and spoke to me with confidence, thinking I was a veteran receptionist.
I was happy to meet so many different people.
The reason I wanted to become a receptionist in the first place was because when I was young, I thought the receptionists at the Adventurer’s Guild, who smiled and talked to various adventurers, looked cool and fun.
I’ve met many different adventurers in my eight years as a receptionist.
There are adventurers I don’t have deep connections with, just people I know by face, and there are also troublesome adventurers like Ninya.
And sometimes…
“There are also kind and incredibly strong people like… Rent.”
Rent.
An adventurer who appeared like a new star about two months ago.
Thinking back, I did something rude when Rent first visited.
I only thought he was an adventurer from another region who came to Pledan to register as an adventurer because of his burly physique and those solid-looking muscles, so I never imagined he was only 20 years old.
“Come to think of it, I had a similar reaction to Tikia…”
I can’t help but think I’m still immature.
Most adventurers have rough personalities.
But even if they’re rough, not many of them are bad at heart.
Still, people like Rent are a minority.
On top of that, he became an S-rank adventurer, the first in 130 years, in just two months. There probably won’t be anyone else like Rent in the future.
On his first day as an adventurer, he defeated hobgoblins, and in less than a week, he defeated the novice killers who were a B-rank criminal group, and was promoted to C-rank.
And in less than two months, he jumped into the front lines of the flood with the top A-rank adventurers of Pledan and made the biggest contribution, becoming S-rank.
If someone who didn’t know anything about the situation heard these achievements, they would dismiss them as a ridiculous fantasy, not even worthy of a third-rate novel.
Rent is very kind, gentle, and…
“He’s also very popular with women.”
That was the case when he came with the owner of the Fox’s Rest and her daughter the other day.
There are many women around Rent.
Of course, Rent is a very attractive person as a man.
He has strength, wealth, and a good personality.
According to rumors, all the women who gathered that day are Rent’s women.
“I guess that’s a lie.”
I think his party members must be in his harem.
And Melissa, who is from the same hometown…
But it’s too exaggerated to say that even the owner of the inn and her daughter are in his harem.
Among the high-ranking adventurers, there are some who date many women or many men.
There aren’t any such adventurers among our A-rank adventurers in Pledan yet… but some B-rank adventurers are dating multiple women.
High-ranking adventurers from other regions.
For example, the adventurers and paladins of Solario, who worship Solishin, the god of life and creation, are said to have relationships with many people of the opposite sex in the name of spreading love.
Of course, these are not promiscuous relationships, but relationships that arise with mutual consent.
Rent must be one of those types.
It is said that the stronger an adventurer is, the stronger their sexual desire is.
Even if Rent is very kind, if he is as strong as he is, his sexual desire must be just as great.
As proof, Rent stared intently at my chest when he first met me.
Of course, it was only for a moment, but since I’m a receptionist, I’m sensitive to the gazes of other adventurers, and other adventurers often look at my face or chest, so I could definitely catch Rent’s intense gaze.
Besides, judging from the way Noah and Elsie act towards Rent when a certain day passes, it’s obvious that he’s dating both of them.
And… with Ninya too.
Haa… I had a bad feeling when Ninya approached Rent back then, but it was unexpected that Ninya would also join Rent’s harem.
But I think it’s a good thing that they seem to have a good relationship as a party.
…Recently, Tikia also joined Rent’s party.
The day after Tikia joined the party.
Judging from the way Tikia looked at Rent, I thought they probably had a relationship on the night she joined the party.
Rent might be surprisingly good at seducing women.
…I also sometimes feel a strong liking for Rent’s bright smile and the way he treats me kindly.
But Rent is already someone who has a harem with many women.
He probably doesn’t have more than a sexual desire for me, who is just a receptionist he sees every day.
In the first place, a receptionist shouldn’t have too close of a relationship with specific adventurers.
This is one of the lessons passed down to Adventurer’s Guild receptionists.
If you happen to develop feelings… and that adventurer suffers a great misfortune, you will only be deeply hurt.
I know this very well because I’ve had such an experience in the past.
Of course, Rent is not someone who is likely to suffer a misfortune…
But you never know what might happen in the world.
“Lessons…”
Suddenly, I remembered something from the past.
The past event that I regret the most.
The time when I almost stopped smiling sincerely.
◈
Back then, I had only been working as a receptionist for two years.
Paperwork was going smoothly, and I was getting used to the lecherous gazes directed at my chest, butt, and face.
“Ugh, it’s so annoying! She suddenly called me over, saying she had something to talk about, and then told me not to flirt with her boyfriend. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Isn’t that because Ninya-san wears those kinds of clothes?”
“I wear these clothes because I like the attention from men. I’m just wearing these clothes, I’m not trying to seduce anyone. Men’s sexual desire is inevitable, isn’t it? If she’s upset, she should just try harder to win her boyfriend’s heart!”
“So… did you break up the party again?”
“Yeah! Ugh, really! I’m single now, single! I’m single, so I can get all the attention from men and say goodbye to the gloomy words of other women!”
“But being single will be hard. You should at least make one companion…”
“No way. I’m tired of parties now!”
At that time, Ninya had disbanded her party more than 10 times in two years and was starting to work solo.
“By the way, Lenny~ Aren’t you going to get a boyfriend?”
“I don’t have time for that right now. I’m too busy working.”
“Why don’t you take a break? If you’re too focused on work, you’ll never get a boyfriend, you know? You have a good figure and face, right? I know that most male adventurers, except for me, are looking at your chest.”
“I know that much too. Adventurers have a job where they see a lot of blood, so their sexual urges must be just as strong. I understand that.”
“Oh my, so if a man asks you to sleep with him, you will?”
“That’s a separate matter. Ninya-san, please stop with the sexual harassment.”
“Sexual harassment? I was just asking a question out of curiosity~ More importantly, are you masturbating properly? If your sexual desire builds up too much, it will interfere with your work…”
“It’s sexual harassment.”
“Tch~.”
“Excuse me…”
“Ah, sorry, sorry, there was someone behind me. Well, I’m going now. Good luck with your work, Lenny~.”
“Yes, Ninya-san. Goodbye.”
After Ninya left, there was a man in front of me, Denzer, an E-rank adventurer who had been an adventurer for three months.
“Lenny-san! I caught a lot of kobolds today! Twelve of them!”
Denzer was a rare adventurer in Pledan who worked solo.
Denzer had enough talent to work alone, and he was recognized by other adventurers as a talented newcomer.
Of course, I also had the impression that Denzer was an adventurer who would go far.
Denzer, who was one year younger than me.
Denzer, who smiled brightly when he saw me.
I wondered if Denzer would have been like this if I had a younger brother.
“That’s amazing, Denzer-san. You’ll be able to catch even more next time.”
“Of course!”
Back then, I had a tendency to rejoice in the growth of adventurers as if it were my own.
That’s why I unconsciously had a strong desire for adventurers to achieve even more growth and success.
That tendency was even stronger for Denzer, who seemed like a younger brother to me.
“Yeah~ But I got a little careless and got a wound on my arm.”
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, I’m fine. I got treated at the temple! But it cost quite a bit… sigh, I wonder how many more days I have to hunt to earn enough for the treatment fee.”
“I think you’ll grow even more, Denzer-san, and you’ll be able to earn enough for the treatment fee in no time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I don’t think you should be too discouraged. You’re a very talented person, Denzer-san.”
“Hehehe, thank you, Lenny-san!”
Irresponsible words.
Empty words that don’t consider reality.
Originally, I should have told him to take a break to make sure his arm had fully recovered, even after treatment.
The next day, Denzer came to the Adventurer’s Guild as usual and took a material collection request form that the guild regularly distributed.
“Lenny-san! Here’s the request form!”
“Yes. You’re talking about the request to collect kobold weapons, right?”
“Yes! I’m going to work even harder today and earn enough for the treatment fee in one go!”
At this time, I should have told him to prioritize returning safely without overdoing it.
But at this time, I…
“Do your best, Denzer-san! If you’re as motivated as you are today, you’ll be able to achieve even greater results.”
I irresponsibly made Denzer’s motivation burn even brighter.
“Yes!”
Denzer left the Adventurer’s Guild as energetically as usual.
And after that.
The day I would see Denzer again never came.
Around lunchtime.
Even though it was time for him to return, Denzer did not come back.
“Lenny…”
That day, Ninya came back with an unusually dark expression.
“Welcome back, Ninya-san. Did something happen?”
Ninya was holding a sword in one hand.
It was a sword I had seen many times before.
“…Denzer died.”
“Huh?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what Ninya was saying.
“I’m working solo from today. I was hunting on the third floor to test how much I could do alone. I went a little deeper today. And there…
I found Denzer’s body. The body… I moved it first, and then I got help from other adventurers and moved it to the temple.
Denzer is still E-rank, so he doesn’t have an identification tag… so I brought this sword that Denzer had with him instead.”
The sword that Ninya was holding in one hand, the sword I had seen many times before.
It was Denzer’s sword.
“Th…at…can’t…”
I couldn’t believe it.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time I had heard news of adventurers dying.
Adventurers are always fighting monsters, so it’s a job where they are always in danger of dying.
Even B-rank and C-rank adventurers often lose their lives.
Every time, I was saddened.
I was sad.
But this news was a big shock to me.
-Do your best, Denzer-san! If you’re as motivated as you are today, you’ll be able to achieve even greater results.
The words I had said to Denzer yesterday echoed in my head.
